Altamas Kabir sworn in as 39th Chief Justice of India

New Delhi, Sept 29: Justice Altamas Kabir has been sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Saturday, Sept 29. President Pranab Mukerjee administered the oath of office of Justice Kabir at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The oath taking ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Justice Kabir, 64, has succeeded Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia. The new CJI's tenure will end on Jul 18, 2013.

The 39th CJI was born on Jul 19, 1948 in Kolkata, West Bengal.

He did his MA and LLB from the University of Calcutta. Justice Kabir was admitted to the bar in 1973 and practiced civil and criminal law in Kolkata at the district court and the Calcutta High Court, Kolkata. He became a judge in the same court on Aug 6, 1990.

He became the Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court on 3 Jan 2005, an elevation made permanent on Mar 1, 2005. He was elevated to the Supreme Court of India as Justice on Sept 9, 2005.